The first comes from Bill Muehlenberg, a conservative Christian commentator and blogger. Then, you can read a direct response to Muehlenberg from Rob Buckingham (first published here), a minister from Bayside Church in Melbourne who has been heavily involved in ministering to Chan and Sukumaran in the last few years.

Christians, Crime and the Death Penalty – Bill Muehlenberg 

Ideally, controversial issues should be discussed with careful, logical assessment, with an eye to the facts, and in the case of Christians, with the biblical worldview fully in place. But sadly this is often not the case, and what we tend to get are kneejerk reactions, emotional outpourings, and angry responses – even from Christians at times.

Issues like the death penalty will certainly see such reactions coming forth. And with a very public case now fully in the news, there is plenty of this occurring at the moment. But since so much fuzzy thinking, unbiblical thinking, and downright anti-biblical thinking is being thrown around over this case, let me try to state once more a few basic biblical principles which we must not lose sight of as we think about such cases.

God Made Both Institutions

Those with basic biblical understanding realise that God created various institutions to govern sinful man in a fallen world. We have institutions like the family for example to bring structure and order into a chaotic world. God also made two major institutions, both of which have their place, and which must be acknowledged and respected.

I refer to church and state. God of course created the church and it operates under its own principles and rules, as set forth in the New Testament. But God also created the institution of the state, way back in the Old Testament, and we see its ongoing role in the New Testament.

Both institutions are ordained by God. One – the church – deals with sin, mercy and forgiveness, while the other – the state – deals with crime, punishment and justice. Sure, justice and the like is found in the church, and mercy is found in the state, but these are two separate institutions which each have their own role to play.

Yes, there can be overlap between the two at times, but they are not identical, and must not lose their unique and separate roles and functions. So the simple biblical truth here, in regard not just to convicted drug smugglers, but to anyone else, is this: The church offers forgiveness, while the state metes out justice. Both institutions were created by God. When we knowingly break the law, we should not expect to be spared the consequences by the state.

The Death Penalty

Not only did God ordain the institution of the state, but he ordained the death penalty as well. This was instituted by God before the giving of the law to Moses, and has never been rescinded, even in the New Testament. Moreover, the sword of Romans 13:4 is seen by most biblical scholars to refer to the death penalty:

billmuehlenberg.com/2015/02/13/the-sword-of-romans-13/

And Jesus and Paul both fully upheld the right of the state to use capital punishment, as we read about in John 19:10-11 and Acts 25:11. But I deal with the biblical and theological case for the death penalty in much more detail in this two-part article:

www.billmuehlenberg.com/2007/10/11/on-capital-punishment-part-1/
www.billmuehlenberg.com/2007/10/12/on-capital-punishment-part-2/

And I deal with a number of secular arguments, based on social, legal and political considerations here:

www.billmuehlenberg.com/2012/05/29/the-case-for-capital-punishment-part-one/
www.billmuehlenberg.com/2012/05/29/the-case-for-capital-punishment-part-two/

At the end of the day, those Christians who bitterly oppose capital punishment must deal with God about this, and not me. This was God’s idea, and we have to deal with what God has revealed to us in his word about such matters. Yet sadly I find so many Christians ignoring God and his word on this, and just making things up as they go along.

Dealing with the Drug Smugglers

Plenty of Christian groups are jumping on board the case of convicted drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, especially since Chan has become a Christian since being arrested. Out of curiosity, I wonder how much Christian interest would be shown in this case if he had not converted.

But at the end of the day, Chan and Sukumaran went into Bali smuggling drugs, knowing full well the penalty for such a crime. And I for one have no problem with such a penalty. How many people, including innocent children, are killed every day because of drug smugglers who don’t give a rip about anyone else, but just want to get rich quick?

I am glad Chan has got right with God. If this is a true conversion, then he has been forgiven of all his sins, and he now has peace with God, and he knows that when he dies – whether as an old man, or sometime much sooner – he will be welcomed into God’s presence.

But that of course does not change the fact that he engaged in some horrific crimes which have horrific consequences for so many other people. But as I have explained in detail elsewhere, while a person can find forgiveness in Christ, the consequences of our actions usually do not just disappear.

Those who break the law do not get an automatic get-out-of-jail-free card just because they may become a Christian somewhere along the line. But see here for more on why we must distinguish the church and forgiveness from the state and justice: billmuehlenberg.com/2007/10/14/sin-forgiveness-and-consequences/

Running on Emotion

Right now there is plenty of emotion surrounding the case of the Australian drug smugglers on death row, which is partly why I have avoided speaking on it until now. I have discovered over the years that some of the most manic, reactionary and unthinking folks around can be those claiming to be Christians.

Christian ethical reflection should not be based on emotion, political correctness, popular opinion, or what the mainstream media is saying. Instead, we need to be thinking rationally here, and remain informed by biblical truth and the biblical worldview on all such issues.

Sure, biblical principles have to be applied to contemporary ethical issues, and Christians can and do disagree on some of these matters. But I for one tire of Christians who seem to think they know better than God on these matters, and are somehow more compassionate than God is. Sorry, but God of course is not being uncompassionate, unloving or unjust when he ordains things like the death penalty, and neither are Christians who agree with God about this.

Those who want to hound the Indonesian government about this are welcome to do so. And we all can pray for these men and their families. But I for one will not go on some “social justice” march demanding they be spared the death penalty.

How many others were not spared the death penalty because of the lousy drugs these guys were all too happy to sell? Where are their second chances? And why are Christians not getting all agitated about their deaths? It seems we have a bit of selective moral outrage going on here.

And going to a country with widely known official policies on this makes them even less excusable. If a family who lost a loved one due to these drugs seeks to forgive the drug smugglers, that is up to them. But the government has a right and obligation to uphold its laws, seek justice for criminals, and seek the protection of its people.

Concluding request

This piece of course does not even come close to dealing with all the various issues involved in the debate. But it was not meant to. It was simply meant to lay out some basic biblical principles with which we can seek to address this tragic case.

One need not agree with all that is said here. But those Christians who do disagree need to offer biblical support for their position, and not just run on emotion. As I say, I can get a lot of emotion and even abuse and hate from Christians on these sorts of topics, and that is certainly not wanted here.

I therefore offer this word of advice in closing: please read carefully all six articles that I have linked to above before posting your comments. If you read those pieces first, it is likely that most of your objections and questions will have been dealt with.

Why the Death Penalty is Wrong – Rob Buckingham

It is no secret that Christie and I, (and many others), have been advocating for many years against the death penalty that was passed down on Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.  In the light of this, it was no surprise that last week a friend of mine sent me a link to a conservative Christian blog that agreed with the death penalty being carried out on these two men. According to the blog writer to disagree with his viewpoint was to be guilty of “kneejerk reactions, emotional outpourings … fuzzy thinking, unbiblical thinking, and downright anti-biblical thinking.”  He goes on “to state once more a few basic biblical principles which we must not lose sight of as we think about such cases.”  He then proceeded to give a predictable list of “cherry-picked” Bible verses to support his harsh view, starting with Genesis 9:6: “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.”

This was a command, under the Noahic Covenant, to a fledging community of eight people as they began to repopulate the earth.  Human life is precious and should not be taken by another human. This is a clear authorisation of the death penalty in cases of premeditated murder.  But just because something is permissible does not mean it is beneficial or constructive (1 Corinthians 10:23).  Consider the first murder recorded in the Bible – that of Abel by his brother Cain.  God Himself did not see it as beneficial to take Cain’s life (Genesis 4:10-16).  He punished him by banishment from the community (like prison), but also protected him from others who would wish to kill him.

Those who attempt to justify the use of the death penalty by using selected Bible texts need to deal with the plethora of verses that endorse capital punishment for reasons that we find abhorrent.  For example, stubborn and rebellious children who would not receive correction could be stoned to death (Deuteronomy 21:18ff), the man who has sexual relations with his wife during her monthly period also has to die for such a sin, as does the person who breaks the Sabbath (Ex 31:14, Numbers 15:32-36).  If we still enacted such laws most of the human race would have to die!

There is no explicit command in the New Testament scriptures for the use of the death penalty, just a reference to the
fact that the Roman Empire used capital punishment in certain cases, and so the Christian would do well to obey the law of the land, “But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason” (see Romans 13:1-4; Acts 25:11; 1 Peter 2:13-14; John 19:10-11).  This does not mean we can’t challenge and question the law of the land.

The New Testament views capital punishment in much the same way as it does slavery – it doesn’t endorse it, it merely gives instruction because of its existence.

There are many reasons why the death penalty is wrong:

• Capital punishment carries the risk of executing someone who is innocent, and once they are executed nothing can be done to make amends.
• Some criminals cannot be reformed because they are mentally ill, brain damaged or mentally retarded.  Is it right to take their life because of a handicap?
• The death penalty does not act as a deterrent – it is incorrect to think that those who commit heinous crimes rationally think through their actions before committing them.  The death penalty is actually a deterrent to rehabilitation. Why should an offender change their life if they’re going to die anyway?
• Capital punishment is not a more cost-effective option than prison.  In fact in western countries like the USA it is cheaper to keep someone in jail for the rest of their life than to have them executed.
• The death penalty doesn’t just punish the offender.  It’s been heartbreaking to watch the threat of the death penalty punish the Chan and Sukumaran families and their friends – innocent people!

The blog I refer to above concludes with this statement: “Those Christians who bitterly oppose capital punishment must deal with God about this, and not me. This was God’s idea, and we have to deal with what God has revealed to us in his word about such matters. Yet sadly I find so many Christians ignoring God and his word on this, and just making things up as they go along.”

There is so much pride in this assertion, “I’m right and if you disagree with me and my interpretation of the Bible you’ll have to deal with God!”  Jesus constantly came up against this picky, proud, religious attitude and dealt with it head on: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel” (Matt 23:23-24).

Here was a group of religious people who cherry-picked their brand of truth but neglected the most important themes expressed in Scripture: justice, mercy and faithfulness.  In this context justice means, “being fair and even-handed in judgment.” Mercy refers to “being compassionate and kind in action,” and faithfulness (or trust) means, “being loyal to God and His Word”.  Jesus applied these concepts in confronting the Pharisees because they had reached a tragically wrong conclusion regarding the intent of God’s laws.  The Pharisees had corrupted the intent of God’s Law by making it harsher than it was ever intended to be.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I believe in tough justice for those who break the law.  I believe that Australia needs tougher sentencing including life sentences that mean life without the possibility of parole.  Our judicial system is often far too soft on hard criminals, and the media are guilty of glorifying them as seen on the Underbelly TV series and the more recent media glorification of Carl Williams and other gangland characters.  There are times when it is right to lock someone up and throw away the key, but Jesus made it very clear that “Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth” was a law that belonged to another era and not to the age of grace.

Regarding Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran what is being requested of the Indonesian Government is that they would use their sovereign power to grant clemency to two reformed and rehabilitated men (and others on death row in Indonesia) and commute their death sentence to life imprisonment. Yes these men did do the wrong thing ten years ago; they trafficked drugs, they were foolish young men; they’ve “done the crime” and would like to “do the time” – they are just asking not to be executed.  Andrew and Myuran are doing an amazing job inside Kerobokan prison of helping to rehabilitate hundreds of prisoners who will one day get out of jail. Why not let them continue this work?  Shouldn’t rehabilitation be the ultimate goal of any good system of justice?

Featured image: Jinteras/Flickr used under CC License.